Bottle closure and method of making same



1,640,192 1927' w. P. HENRY BOTTLE CLOSURE AND METHOD OF MAKING 5AMEFiled Sept. 1, 1926 INVENTOR MQ/lq/w HENRY ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 23,1927.

UNITED STATES wnmmn rarmcx HENRY, or NEW Yoax, it. Y.

BOTTLE CLOSURE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

Application filed September 1, 1926. Serial No. 132,958.

This invention relates to stoppers for bot- 'tles, and particularlycomplete closures for sealing and protecting the mouth of bottlesespecially in, a class of which at present the,

milk and cream bottle top protection are of greatest importance. Whileapplicable to other cases, the specific form or forms-of construction ofthe article shown or described hereinafter, involve the closing of suchbottles his the protection of the lip of the bdttle or sanitary purposesas well as the various other advantages well recognized and desired togain, and for the accomplishment of which devices in the past have not Ebeen successful to the extent of providing practical devices'at low costof production, nor devices that would accomplish the desired results forvarious reasons, as hereinafter described. 7 T

at While my invention may be practiced in various Ways, andthe'production of the article is susceptible of modifications dependingupon the facilities for manufacture and the particular designof closuredesired,

2 the" following specification describes a particular embodiment withcertain modifications, of an article particularly suitable for thecombined operation of sealing and protecting the top of the milk, cream,or like,

3 bottle.

This particular embodiment involves marked economy in productioncompared to the products heretofore attempted-Q It rovidesan articlewhich maybe applie by as machine, but also by hand, to close and protectmilk bottle tops, and to effect this-clo-' sure with economy by hand aswell as machine, and, when b hand it is done sanitarily. The meth s offorming the device to may be varied, and in this application a generalmethod of production is described with the understanding that thoseskilled in the art of automatic machinery and the manipulation ofpa r,or other suitable materials, may provi e apparatus for quantityproduction with increased economy.

In particular, the article comprises a disc,

generally'as described in the Barnhart patent of September 17, 1889, towhich I attach 5% a lip cover. in a manner and of a form to be held tothe lip of the .bottle in a thoroughly practical and effective manner.The attachment of the lip cover in no way interferes with theeffectiveness of the securing'of the disc or cap forming the contentseal, but

augments the security of that seal and in addition provides a completeclosure by the addition of a lip cover secured to the disc and snuglyfitting over the lip of the bottle,

and it provides this with a cover portion I having an inexpansiblemaximum diameter or peripheral-border with the advantages as herein setforth. This border or skirt,

which fits the outside surface of the bead of the bottle, issubstantially inextensible, so that the article as produced has an edge,and

preferably a thin edge, which clings snugly to the outside surface ofthe bead of the bottle, and no softening by weathering or theapplication of ice on milk bottles, or change in tern erature, can thenaffect the snug fit-n ting o the edge of the lip cover in the use of anarticle in this form. It will be understood that the original tensilestren h of paper in the finished calendered pro not is utilized toassure this advantageous fit and security in normal use. In the form ofthe radially inward curving portion of the cover, any excess of materialis accommodated at a part of the closure structure where a surplus inthe form of folds, pleats or crimping, has no objectionableefi'ect uponthe advantages of the finished article. In addition, this coverroduction in combination with the cap, or isc closure, may be producedout of paper stock, as the preferred form of material, though othermaterial may be employed, with the smallest possible waste or scrap.Thus, in the production of the cover portion, which is consolidated tomake the complete unit article, the blank may be a straight strip ofpaper, which in the methodhereinafter described is formed into thefinished article without any waste what soever,a marked distinction.from methods heretofore practiced involving the utilize tion of circulardiscs of paper, with substantial waste in production, simply folded overthe top and sides of a bottle with additional wastof material in thefolds. folds of such prior covers or hoods are furthermore a weakness ata point where weathering causes spreading that defects their pro erfunctioning.

Wh1le prefer to make my hood or cover 105 combined with the cap so thatit will cover the lip portion of the bottle-solely to the extent whichis actually desirable or necessary for sanitary purposes, it mayextend-further down thebea'd, and with any change of no The a securehold, that is it holds tight inthe bottle neck for all normal service,and by my securing ofthe advantageous form of cover or lip hood to thecap the entire ar'- ticle as a unit holds to the bottle and effects theprotection as described, particularly on that part of the lip over whichthe milk flows when being pouredlout. With the short skirt of the hoodthe essential results. are obtained, but without the edge of the coverextending to a position where the prd'inary carrying of bottles would beliable to cause accidental dislodgment.

- cap.

50 andin some instances covers may While the unit, cap and cover, as acomplete article of manufacture serves admira- 1y to meet the conditionsof transportation, and the handling'necessary for their attachment tobottles, it will be noted that the union'of the cover with the topsurface of the cap must have the formation which makes ossible theproper application of the amely, if app ied. byhand, a plug must reachclose to the rim of the cap, an therefore, the hood relations to the cavmust provide for this,--in order to uniform y and efl'ectively seat thecap in order that the necessar holding position of the cap in the bottle0 the neck is assured without injury to the cover. Likewise, the samecondition must be met for machine capping, and in the detaileddescription herein the importance of thesefeatures will be noted. Whilethe complete unit is not alone the preferred form and embodies manyadvantages, it will be seen that the formation of a cover or se of the.character and by the method erein described is in. itself novel, .madewith central discsforthe pur ose of their fittin for temporary use or oterwise without t e locking ca as it rovides the inextensible and snugtting e ge for protection. I will now describe a particular form ofembodiment of the invention suitable forpresent' day purposes,understanding that machinery of various designs may be made for the mosteconomical large production in view of the very large quantity ofdevices of this character necessary to supply daily' requirements.

@ne particularembodiment of my invention with a method of forming thearticle is illustrated in the accompanying draw ing, in which:

articular, it will be noted when Fig. I is a top view of the finishedcap and cover unit;

Fig. II is a cross section of a cap and cover, shown attached to the topof a milk bottle, also in section;

III is a cross section fragmentary view,flon an enlarged scale, of a capand cover at its junction with a bottle neck and cap seat I Fi 1& is across section, on the axis of forming dies for finishing the cap andcover u Fig. V shows in cross section ,modified formingfand finishingdies;

Fig. I is a perspective view of a blank showing a first step inproducing the cover;

and

. Fig. VII is a perspective view showing a progressive formation invproducing the cover. 4

The finished cap and cover A has the outside or skirt edge a continuoussmooth inexpansible border B, which is curved inward at C conforming to.thebead 1 on the bottle, and turned at D to form a portion entering theinterior of the bottle neck, with horizontal inwardly projecting portionE, which is folded or pressed to engage the flat top sur face of thedisc or stopper member F, known as acap. Over the edges E, or folds asthe case magbe, a preferably opaque wafer G covers t e top surface ofthe cap F as well 'as the inner edge E which is secured around and nearthe periphery of the cap F. This wafer G is preferably the exactdiameter of the reentrant or inner wall D of the cover but may extendupwardly along the coverportion, in which case it makes. the articlemore waterproof; This wafer G .is particularly adapted to carry theprinting that is usual on the caps of milk bottles, to provide thenecessary or desired designations, and when so used permits the printingin the most economical way instead 'of the necessity of rinting on thefinished article, which ishedis not flat. Printing may however beembodied as desired on other ortions of the finished article. The waferis for finish and surface protection but noiilfor holding strength onthe inner neck wa While there are difierent ways in which this cap andcover, and particularly the cover portion, may be formed, the methodpreferably consists in winding a ribbon of paper A into a circle sothatoneedge is the exact diameter of and therefore the length that willgo around the bottle head at the outer surface where the edge of thefinished cover is intended to fit tight'wh'en applied.

On the other edge of thisribbon of paper there may be slashes or notchesa, a, to remove a surplus of that edge of the ribbon which afterwards ispressed into the hat radially, inward projecting portion E, so

to form the pleated portion A The quality of paper desired for thesearticles is readily folded in this manner and by suitable er1mpingmachine. or otherwise, the uniformity of product is provided The blankthus formed. as in Fig. VII. is placed between (lies 2 and 3 to form theskirt, and 2' then forms the reentrant wall D and edge E, all of theexact ultimate con figuration desired, and with the required heat andmoisture is pressed into the permanent' cover form, ready for attachmentto the cap portion F. The cover then placed on the disc with one of thecontacting surfaces suitably gnmmed, and the finished cap and cover willbe produced as shown by the dies in Fig. IV. \Vhen a top wafer isdesired, the wafer may be inserted at the Game time. thus completelystamping or pressing out the finished article. Preferably the finishforming of the cover portion is simultaneous with its attachment to thecap.

As shown in Fig. V, the die 2 may form only a portion of the curvatureof the finished coverskirt, while a side die 4 is initially applied tothe blank A to hold the lower edge and at the same time form a smallportion of the margin. and in this manner it permits crowding of thepaper into a small rib ll, if desired, so as to have a circumferentialstrengthening of the skirt of the cover to aid in maintaining itsformation. In the die shown in Fig. V there may also be a central plug5, which in one position forms the cover, but which can recede andpermit a cap disc to he slid into the die so that a second pressoperation attaches the disc to the formed cover.

It will thus be noted that the formation of I the complete article as acap and cover unit for milk bottles and the like comprises essentiallythe use of a ribbon of paper with a lap-joint, or two or more plies ofthinner paper may be wound into the initial cylindrical formation, butin any case having the maximum diameter desired in the finished article;and the cupping of the cover into the desired shape results in thesurplus paper forming folds, pleats or slashed projections on theradially inner portions of the cover, where they are unobjectionable. Inthe main, it provides an inexpansible outer rim to the skirt of thecover, which therefore assures the edge of the cover clinging to theglass at the outside of the bead and formingv a perfect joint, for therequired protection of the lip, both sanitary and otherwise. fit of thecap and cover to the top of the bottle and supplies the necessaryoverlap- This assures the uniformity of ping portion of the cover ontothe top side of the cap disc in order to secure the two together andforms an hermetically sealed top with a recess in the cover just assharp as required close to the periphery of the disc or cap in order toaccommodate the form of tool necessary to press the sealing disc or caprim securely into its proper place on the shoulder in the neck of thebottle without breaking or distorting the cover.

While the device herein described, and the method of production ingeneral, utilizes the tensile strength of paper as produced in thesheet, the inextensible edge of the hood or cover portion may berealized by the formation of the article from paper more in pulp form,or paper stock especially treated, as by heating and moisture, so thatthe cover portion may be provided by deformation of the paper structure.The apparatus or equipment therefore of necessity involves far greaterinitial expense, and the ultimate product will not have thepredetermined tensile strength involved in the regular paper sheetproduction which has been finished and is necessarily seasoned, so

that a definite assurance of rigidity of the outer lower edge of theskirt can be depended upon with its, substantially inextensibleperiphery and without folds, fluting, or other configuration which. hasheretofore been involved. in any attempts at making an article in thisclass.

\Vhen desired the inextensible edge of the sheet or fringe may beturned, rolled or given any desired strengthening formation withoutinterfering with the close fit against the outer lip surface ofthe-bottle, but I prefer that the thin edge terminate the bottom of theskirt adjacent to the usual flash on the standard milk bottle, so thatthe. handling of-the bottles will not tend to dislodge the lip cover. Ifa strengtheningrib be put on the cover, it is preferable that; the samebe further npnearer the top of the bead where it will not be liable tofinger engagement when handling the bottles in the ordinary process ofdelivery, but .may also serve the purpose of means for readily dislogingthe edge of the cover for the ultimate opening of the bottle when in thehands of the'consumer.

While variations in design, dimensions,'as well as the method ofproduction are within the purview 90f my invention, what I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bottle closure unit Comprising a holding cap and a lip coverhermetically sealedon the.top surface thereof close to its edge, saidcover portion being formed of paper having its outer edge the exactdiameter of'the intended bead surface contact with the initial tensionin the paper and remainder of the cover portion bent and folded inwardlyto conform to the desired cover shape with radially inward extendingmargin pressed to a form for union with the cap top surface.

, 2. In a "bottle closure a bottle lip protector adapted to. be held tothe bottle top by a sealing cap, formed from a stripof paper 1 ofan'initial diameter corresponding to the intended edge contact of theprotector with the bottle bead and having opposite edge of said stripand the body portion folded rad'ally inward to conform to the desiredhead covering shapewith a; reentrant portion to extend into thebottleneck wall and an inner edge with the surplus of material pressedfiat and united to the top surface of the sealing cap. 3. A method ofmaking a unit bottle closure in which a strip of paper is formed intocircular or cylindrical shape of a diameter equal to the desired maximumrim of the lip protecting portion of the closure;

'and with the major portion thereupon folded inwardly and pressed toconform to the-desired lip protector contour and then attaching theinner constricted edge of-said of the initial tensile strength of thepaper,

thereu on folding or crowding the ribbon away, rom one edge inwardly toform converging sides and thereupon pressing the inwardly. foldedportion of the ribbon into a contiguous curved 'lip portion and a flat IY inwardly projecting rim. y a 5; A method of producing a bottle closurehaving asealing cap and a cover in which one ormore plies of paper areunited to a v circular formation with a maximum diameter of paper'm itsinitial state of tension.

equal to the desired maximum diameter of the cover port-ion of: theclosure, including a August, 1926.

weakening of the other edge of the circular .ly' disposed paper unit,and pressing the weakened portion and the body of the paperintoconverging formation with a final COlIlpressin of the paper into thefinished article o a bottle-lip rotecting cup portion with a contiguousradially inward extending flat rim and securing said flat rim to the topsurface of the sealing cap. a 1

6. A method of making a bottle closure having a sealing and holding cap,in which a lip protecting cover is made of paper with its maximumdiameter of rim equal in length to the outer diameter of the bottle headin the initial length and tensile strength of finished paper and withthe adjacent pa erstock folded inward to the desired conormation'terminating in an inner border sealed to the top oft-he holdingcap and having acircular stiffening bead formed on theskirt of theprotector parallel with but separated from the inextensible ed e. I y f.A lip-protecting cover for a bottle clo sure consisting of a shortcylindrical formation of paper in' one or more plies havingone edge ofan initial circumference correspondingto the final maximum circumfereneeof the cover edge and with the" other edge fluted to contract the sameand thereafter pressed into the desired form of finished article.

8. A lip-protecting cover for a bottle clo-.

sure comprising a ribbon of paper formed cylindrically of one or moreplies, one edgethereof made inextensible of the size of the proposedfinshed protecting outer edge and having its outer-edge slashed ornotched'to eliminate a surplus of material in the formation of theprotector and having the edge of material and the body of theribbonformation pressed inwardlyto form a contiguous inwardly curvedlipcover merging into a flat inner serrated rim and a holding capattached to the under side of said inner rim immediately adjacent itsperiphery.

In witness whereof, I have signed my name to this application this 30thday of WILLIAM PATRICK HENRY.

